Graduation
by Demented Insane Spirit
Summary: (MikoshibaxSakura) Days before their high school graduation, Sakura and Mikoshiba reflect on the progression of their emotions throughout their high school career. For Sakura, there's a sense of uncertainty as she realizes that her feelings have transferred from Nozaki to Mikoshiba, and for him, he's unsure when, if ever, he should act upon his existing feelings. One shot.


_Disclaimer: I do not own Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun_

_Notes/Warnings: first attempt in this fandom; one shot; Mikoshiba/Sakura_

X

_Graduation_

Sakura closed her locker, releasing a small sigh. She could hear the chatter of her schoolmates around her and reluctantly looked up, glancing around her with a dubious expression. At the end of the week, she would be attending the graduation ceremony and would be entering the real world at last. Like everyone else, she had been anxiously anticipating her next step in life. The thought caused her to peer down at her bag, biting her lip anxiously. She had not had time to open the parcel while at home and frankly, she had wanted to do so with her friends. Now, however, she was beginning to think it might be better to do so alone. Taking her bag more firmly in her hand, she pulled it around her shoulders and left the school, walking at a leisurely pace, lost in her own thoughts.

In the years following the summer festival when she was sixteen, Sakura's feelings for Nozaki had eased into something more comfortable and more akin to friendship. She had always thought they would remain and would never fade, but the more she had lingered upon it, the more she realized that as a manga artist, he was far too focused upon his work to truly love. Even now, the reflection caused a slight smile to appear on her lips. She knew Nozaki's drive and motivation all too well, now. She still found it to be an endearing quality of his and even though she found his personality and looks to be attractive, her romantic feelings had faded. It had taken her a long time until she ever realized what had happened. It had been an accidental discovery, really.

"_Nozaki, don't you think this scene is a little..." _

_Nozaki stared at her from his place at the desk. She was looking at a panel with an exasperated expression, trailing off as her mouth set into a line. "Too romantic?" he asked, frowning. "Do you think it's too much?"_

"_No, that's not quite the word I was going to use...a little too...well...annoying?"_

_A blank look crossed his face. "Eh?"_

"_Not the story! But, I mean...Mamiko has been crying this entire time and I don't think crying over a pudding cup is really, um...well, I mean, I don't know how you can get him liking other girls from him eating a chocolate pudding cup, just because it's not his usual flavor. That seems a little..." She trailed off again, peeking at him uncertainly. He tapped his chin thoughtfully and then stood up, rounding the table so he was leaning over her. Sakura leaned her elbow on the table, watching as he read over the panels she was describing and then shifting through the following two pages._

"_I think it adds drama to the scene," he said, nodding, bracing himself on the table with his hand. Sakura sent him another exasperated stare. "It might _seem_ like just a pudding cup – "_

"_Nozaki, I really don't think – "_

"_But – "_

"_Nozaki!" Sakura leapt to her feet, knocking him off balance. There was a brief moment of confusion before they went crashing to the floor, with Sakura pinned beneath him at an awkward angle. Her knee had struck the table and was throbbing painfully. She was scowling up at him, saying, "You see what your pudding cup causes?"_

"_I'm not sure this is from the pudding cup, Sakura," he told her in his usual, solemn manner._

"_Hey, hey, Nozaki," a voice called from the hall. "I'm really – oh." Nozaki turned slightly and Sakura looked up from her mussed position. Mikoshiba was staring at them from beside the kitchen, his eyebrows raised in surprise and his mouth forming a perfect 'o.' "Am I interrupting something?"_

"_No," Nozaki responded with an utter lack of understanding. "Why would you be interrupting something?"_

_Sakura huffed a sigh, throwing her head back. "He obviously is misinterpreting why I'm on the floor, Nozaki!" _

"_Ahh." Nozaki straightened, getting to his feet. Sakura rose back onto knees, rubbing the one that had gotten hit. Nozaki waved a hand, assuring the redheaded male, "Don't worry, it was nothing like that."_

"_Eh?" Mikoshiba started in surprise, a flush crossing his cheeks. "What do you mean 'don't worry'? I'm not worried! I just didn't want to be interrupting anything _important_ is all." _

_Sakura laughed up at Mikoshiba, smiling. "You wouldn't be. Nothing like that would happen between me and Nozaki." There was a strange, sharp truth to that statement that had both her and Mikoshiba falling silent. Sakura blinked, surprised by her own words and Mikoshiba cast her a puzzled, curious gaze._

"_The pudding cup could be changed, I suppose," Nozaki spoke up, unaware of the sudden tension. "Maybe I should use a bento?"_

"_Yeah...," Sakura slowly agreed, turning away from Mikoshiba, her cheeks warming at his stare. "A bento would be better."_

Sakura smiled faintly at the memory. If that had happened to her in any other time with Nozaki, she would have been blushing and stuttering. Instead, she had cracked a joke about Mamiko and the pudding cup. Although the event had stirred that realization from her, another, more troubling problem had come in place of that. Since that had happened, a strange awkwardness developed between her and Mikoshiba, one that was only present while they were alone. Granted, it was not often that the two of them were ever alone at one time, usually surrounded by their friends, but the few times it did happen were enough to make the feeling stand out. Mikoshiba caused his own embarrassments the majority of the time, yet with her it was not any blunt, flirting manner of speaking that caused the atmosphere; in fact, there was very little explanation for it. Sakura had unsuccessfully tried to ignore it and push on, but it did not seem to make things any better.

Pausing near a street corner, Sakura pulled her bag off her shoulders and dug in it for the parcel. Thinking of Mikoshiba made her feel oddly out of sorts and she did not want to analyze it too closely. It reminded her too much of how she used to feel with Nozaki and she refused to believe anything like that had developed in her heart for her good friend. Instead, she decided to focus on the parcel she had received. Carefully tearing it open, she pulled the papers out and skimmed through them. Slowly, she released a sigh from her lips. She had been sent one rejection letter from her first choice university, but had gotten an acceptance letter from her second choice. She smiled and then the smile wavered as she realized that her second choice school had been Mikoshiba and Kashima's first choice schools. Neither of them were particularly good at academics and had chosen to aim a little lower. Sakura wondered whether they had heard from any of their applications yet.

The thought kept Sakura immobile on the street, staring across with a vacant expression. If she and Mikoshiba went to college together... The idea never fully formed as a familiar voice called out to her. Drawing out of her reflections, Sakura turned to see Mikoshiba and Nozaki walking towards her. Nozaki had a camera in his hand. "I think I'll use that in the manga," he said, turning it around to see he had taken a picture of her clutching onto her papers and staring across the street.

"Wahh! Nozaki, delete that right now! You shouldn't be taking secret pictures of people!" she wailed, flailing her arms angrily.

"But you can't even see your face," he protested, holding the camera out of arm's reach. "I'll delete it after I use it."

Sakura pouted angrily, crossing her arms over her chest. She slanted a look at Mikoshiba, who blinked at being caught looking at her and averted his gaze. A strange stirring began in her chest and she quickly turned around, blushing. Nozaki fell into step beside her. "Are you going to your house to work on the manga?" she asked him.

"Mmm. Ah, did you get a response from one of your schools?"

"Oh! Yes, I did...I'm really happy about it, actually. I didn't get into my first choice, but I got into this one..."

"Mikoshiba, didn't you get into that one, too?" Nozaki asked, looking to him.

"Uh...yeah, I got one of those yesterday, too," Mikoshiba answered, rubbing the back of his head.

"Looks like most everyone will be moving away from here," Nozaki remarked with a thoughtful air. Sakura frowned, staring at the ground. "What do you think of getting an apartment together, Mikoshiba?"

"Wh-what?" Sakura sputtered, staring at Nozaki in disbelief. "Why would _you_ move, Nozaki? You're not going to university since you'll be publishing your manga!"

"Exactly," he said. "Who will do my betas and flower effects?"

_And here I thought he was being sentimental..._, Sakura thought, turning away from him. Sometimes she could not be certain whether Nozaki was serious or not when he made remarks like that. Her mind drifted as she considered the possibility of Mikoshiba and Nozaki living together. It would certainly make it easier for her to see Mikoshiba at the same time and in a sense it would be like they had never left high school at all if the three of them continued to meet to work with Nozaki on his manga. Part of it appealed to Sakura, although another part of her wondered what she would do to tackle the strange feelings she had been developing for Mikoshiba.

"I wouldn't mind," Mikoshiba told Nozaki with a shrug. "I'd get good cooking every night!"

"Poor Nozaki!" Sakura sighed.

"It's always nice to see people enjoy my cooking," was all Nozaki said to this. Sakura and Mikoshiba exchanged a look before laughing.

"Then I'll come over every night to eat, too!"

"You could just move in with us, Sakura," Nozaki pointed out. She gave him a startled look. "Since you would be going to the same school."

"Don't say that," Mikoshiba hastily told him. "If Kashima gets into that school, she'll be wanting to move in, too, and she'll be bringing in hordes of girls."

"That's right," Sakura agreed, "and then we'll never get any work done."

Nozaki cast them a mild look. "But Kashima won't get in."

_Wow, Nozaki can be too blunt sometimes..._

After a bit more squabbling, the group went to the store to collect items for that night's dinner (something that Mikoshiba and Sakura jointly paid for since Nozaki would be cooking), and headed to Nozaki's for another night of work on the manga. Even though Nozaki perhaps was not thinking of it, Sakura felt reassured to know that there was a possibility that this would not be the last time they would be spending this time together.

X

Mikoshiba sighed, collapsing into his chair and throwing his arms over his desk. Kashima looked to him with a puzzled smile on her lips. Beside her, Hori was drinking milk and looked to the redhead, as well. Mikoshiba could feel their gazes on his head, but continued to stare in the opposite direction with a dismal twist to his lips. He was in a dilemma. Nozaki was continuing to insist that Sakura should move in with them. With the graduation ceremony a day away, they had been making serious plans to move into an apartment. Both he and Sakura had already chosen that as their school to go to and Nozaki had been looking into apartments for them. Nothing that either he or Sakura said could dissuade him. Part of Mikoshiba was beginning to think that Nozaki, usually the oblivious member of their group, had caught on to Mikoshiba's affection for Sakura and was trying to help him. It was not a help, however, but pure torture. Even though Mikoshiba knew that Sakura was no longer interested in Nozaki, he did not feel so certain that his chances with her were very high. He also seriously doubted if he could ever get over his own awkward personality to make any moves in that area.

"I never should have started talking to Nozaki...," he mumbled gloomily. "None of this would have happened."

"What's that?" Hori asked, raising an eyebrow. Mikoshiba sighed, sitting up and looking at the duo.

"Nozaki wants to get an apartment together near the college campus...with Sakura."

"Whoa!" Kashima gasped. "He's finally taking an interest in girls?"

"Not like that!" Mikoshiba snapped. "He and I are getting an apartment together, but he wants Sakura to move in with us, too, since she'll be going to the same school as me."

"Didn't you apply to that school, too, Kashima?" Hori asked, sending Kashima a suspicious look. She laughed and rubbed the back of her head.

"Yes...but I didn't get in." She beamed at him. "But I'm still waiting to hear back from the school you're going to, Hori! I might still have a chance there!"

"Oh, good...," Hori muttered without any enthusiasm. Turning away from her, he returned his attention back to Mikoshiba. "I don't get it, what's the big deal? You three have been really close all through high school, after all. Sakura doesn't seem to like Nozaki that way anymore and he doesn't see her that way. Or...is it because...?"

Mikoshiba released a frustrated sigh, dragging his hand through his hair as he rested his elbow against the desk. "I don't know how to deal with it...Sakura has always been my good friend. I don't want to ruin it with _this_."

"Ah, I see," Kashima said, hitting a fist into her open palm. "The best thing to do is ask her. You should ask her at the graduation ceremony."

Mikoshiba sent her a disgusted look. "I can't just ask her that! It leaves me in the same position that I'm in now! Besides...if Nozaki is serious about this moving in thing, there's no way I can ask her...it'll make things too uncomfortable. Things are weird between us now anyway."

"Huh?" Hori drank the last of his milk, his brow furrowing. "Why would it be weird between you now? Did something happen?"

"No, not really. It's just been like that since she stopped liking Nozaki." Hori stared at him for such a long time that it began to unnerve Mikoshiba. "What...?" Hori exchanged a look with Kashima, causing Mikoshiba to slam his hands on the desk angrily. "What the hell was that look for?! What, what?!"

"Well...," Hori sighed, rubbing his neck. "Not to get your hopes up or anything, but don't you think that could mean she might like you back?" When Mikoshiba simply frowned at him, Hori continued, "It just seems a little weird. You two have never been like that before, right? And that was when she liked Nozaki."

"And you agree with him?" Mikoshiba asked Kashima.

"Adds up to me," she cheerfully responded. "Just out of curiosity, though, how long have you felt like this for Sakura?"

Mikoshiba blinked, surprised by the question. In all honesty, he had not expected either of them to ask it when he brought the topic up. He folded his arms across his chest, contemplating it for a long moment. When he had first met Sakura, he had played himself off as a bit of a jerk, but it was more out of nervousness than anything else. She was cute and he had started calling her 'Ribbons' in his mind because that was what he attributed to her. She was sweet and helpful and able in her art skills. She was also feisty, often clashing with him at times and able to rebuke him when provoked. It had developed into a fun push-and-pull sort of relationship that he had taken enjoyment in, even though he had also seen just as quickly that she was interested in Nozaki. There were times when he became frustrated with Nozaki's oblivious and single-minded manner when someone like Sakura was making her feelings abundantly clear.

_So, I guess I've always liked her, then,_ he mused to himself. It had been a gradual development and he had kept it from himself as long as possible, knowing that there was a potential for a relationship if Nozaki ever developed mutual feelings for Sakura. Once he began to realize that Nozaki was too focused on his characters' relationships to develop his own, he could not help but allow his feelings to progress. By now, he was deep into it and there was no way he could pull himself out of it without severe injury to himself.

"For awhile," he answered at last. When Kashima smiled slightly, indicating she was not fooled by the vague reply, he huffed and glared up at her. "A long time, okay?"

"Over a year?" Kashima queried gently.

Mikoshiba shifted uncomfortable in his seat, turning his eyes away from them. "Yeah, for much longer than a year."

X

Sakura could hear the excited sounds in the hallway and looked behind her. The graduation ceremony would be starting soon. She had come up to her classroom, knowing that it would be empty and she could get some time to collect her thoughts. In the small space of time since Nozaki had suggested it, it had permanently been decided that she and the other two males would be moving in together near the campus. In that time, Sakura had been battling with herself over the thought of sleeping in such close quarter to Mikoshiba. Even now the thought caused a faint blush to cross her cheeks. She briskly slapped her cheeks, annoyed by the reaction.

"Ah, Sakura, there you are!" Sakura turned uncertainly as Seo came into the classroom. "I thought you'd be here. The ceremony's about to start." She paused. "Why is your face red?"

"My face isn't red!" Sakura sputtered.

"It definitely is. Are you doing something dirty in here?" Seo asked slyly.

"Wh-what?! No, of course not! I was just thinking about – " She stopped herself, clamping her lips tight. Seo raised her eyebrows at her.

"About...?" She elbowed Sakura a bit too hard, making the girl go stumbling into a desk. "A guy, am I right? Got someone you're meeting at the graduation party, eh?! Ehhh?!" Seo elbowed her again and this time Sakura grabbed onto her arm, halting her.

"You're going to kill me if you keep doing that."

"Oh, sorry." Seo laughed. "I don't know my own strength!"

"Yes...that must be it...," Sakura mumbled, straightening and releasing Seo. She sighed, a troubled expression crossing her soft features. _Mikorin will be at the graduation party, too..._, she thought to herself. After a moment, she simply shook her head and smiled at Seo. "Let's go, we don't want to be late." The two girls left the classroom and walked beside each other down to where the graduation ceremony would be taking place. As Sakura walked, her mind drifted back to her original thought. _The way I feel about Mikorin...isn't what it used to be. If we live together, it will only be worse. I can handle rejection...Nozaki rejected me, even though he never put words to it. Should I...confess to Mikorin? Before we start living together? That way my feelings won't get stronger..._ In her mind, it sounded like a good idea, but Sakura was not so sure.

The graduation ceremony was taking place outside in the fields. Most of the students were already seated. Sakura hurried to her seat, settling herself between two girls. Once the principal began to talk after all the students had settled down, Sakura looked around and found Nozaki sitting with Mikoshiba. She smiled and then felt a blush cross her cheeks when Mikoshiba looked up and their gazes locked. She flashed a quick smile and looked away, turning her eyes back up to the principal. She knew that, even if Mikoshiba's feelings were not the same, Sakura would be unable to stop her own feelings from growing.

As the top student of their class stepped up to give her speech, Sakura found herself thinking back on the years. She was lucky in that she would be able to go to university with her two best friends, but she was still leaving so much behind. The memories of the summer festival, the manga research, the art club, the drama club, and all of the ridiculous antics that their group got into made her smile and feel a little wistful. She would miss the others that would be going to a different university than her. She knew that she would be reminded of them continuously, even if she did get to see them occasionally. She wondered if Seo or Kashima, Hori, or even Wakamatsu felt the same way. The thought of them being far from her caused a pang to go through her chest and she struggled to keep her tears in and failed. By the end of the ceremony, her cheeks were wet with tears and her eyes were red from crying.

"Sakura!" As Sakura followed her class through the school to receive their diplomas, she looked around at the sound of her name. "Over here!" Sakura's footsteps slowed as she saw Mikoshiba pushing his way through the crowds. He held out something for her and she took the box, a blank expression on her face. He grabbed her hand, squeezing it, and then went darting back towards his classroom. Realizing that she was holding up the movement in the hall, she quickly hurried on to her class and looked down to see he had given her a box of tissues.

_Oh, he saw me crying at the ceremony,_ she thought. She pulled out a tissue when she got to class and blew her nose. Other girls in the class were sniffling, as well, and Sakura offered them tissues. She smiled absently to herself, thinking, _What a nice gesture._

X

Everyone changed after the ceremony and met at a restaurant where one of the private rooms were booked for the newly graduated students. There was a karaoke machine that the girls eagerly took to and heaps of food upon the table. Sakura and her group of friends occupied much of one of the tables and Seo delighted in harassing Wakamatsu by trying to feed him while he wailed about being tortured. Kashima was consistently surrounded by girls that sobbed that she could not leave them by following Hori. The crowd of girls got so bad that Hori eventually had to whack Kashima across the head and roar at the women that there was simply not enough room at the table for that many people.

"It's so lively, isn't it Nozaki?" Sakura asked him, smiling.

"Yes, it's almost as if nothing is going to change," he answered, taking a bite of curry and then pausing to chew. He did not look at her as he said, "It doesn't feel as though this is the last day we'll have with all of them." Sakura turned from her food to look at him, alarmed by the statement. She had not thought Nozaki would miss their class's company all that much. She was certain he would not miss Seo, though she was not sure about the others. He looked at her through the corner of his eye. "I'm glad that not everyone will be leaving."

"Me too," she quietly replied, smiling. "I'm excited to move in with you and Mikorin."

He smiled and then looked around. "Mikoshiba has been gone awhile. He just went outside?"

"That's what he said."

"I'll go check on him."

"Ah! Actually, I'll do it, Nozaki. I could use some fresh air anyway."

He had a thoughtful look upon his face as he looked at her, but turned back to his food as she rose to her feet, saying, "Okay, don't be too long. Your food will get cold."

"I won't!"

Sakura left the private room, sliding the door closed behind her. Truthfully, she wanted to be with Mikoshiba alone now while she still had the chance. She had considered following him when he said he needed to go outside for a bit because he was feeling claustrophobic, but had lost the courage to do so. Now, however, she had no choice but to find him since she had told Nozaki that she would. If she didn't and returned to say he was fine, Nozaki might say something to Mikoshiba and she would be revealed as a liar. She had knowingly trapped herself into talking to Mikoshiba whether she was brave enough or not.

Sakura stepped out of the restaurant, looking around. She found Mikoshiba leaning against the building a few feet away. The city was still bustling with activity as it was not too late. People were still strolling past and a few women glanced over at him interestedly, but he seemed to be oblivious of their stares. Sakura took a deep breath, calming herself, before she stepped over to him. "Mikorin?" she called softly. He started, whipping his head around to look at her. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you..."

"No, it's...um, it's okay." He flashed a hasty smile.

"Nozaki was worried about you. You've been out here for awhile."

"Oh...right. Sorry, I just got lost in thought." Even though he said that, he did not make any moves to go back inside the restaurant. Sakura clasped her hands in front of her and the longer she stood staring at him, the more nervous she became. She twisted at her fingers anxiously, hearing her heartbeat in her ears, knowing that the longer she waited, the sooner she would lose the courage to say anything to him about her feelings. Noticing that she hadn't gone back inside, Mikoshiba looked to her and said, "You can go back inside, Sakura. I'll be in soon."

"Actually, Mikorin...I..." He turned his gaze to her and she quickly dropped her own, feeling a blush start on her cheeks. _I look like a fool, standing here getting nervous..._ "I...I just..." _I can't even get a full sentence out!_

"Sakura..." Her heart skipped a beat at the soft way he spoke her name and she dared to raise her head to catch a glimpse of him. She was just able to see the intense stare he had directed at her before he flushed and looked away, covering his mouth with his hand. In spite of her own anxiety, she gawked at him incredulously. Mikoshiba often got embarrassed and nervous, but usually not without good reason. With her, they had always been comfortable up until he said something outrageous and then he began to blush in earnest. However, nothing had triggered this reaction from him. A little bit of hope bloomed within her and she stepped closer to him so that they were nearly touching.

"Mikorin?" she questioned, leaning forward, trying to look at his face.

"Damn it, why didn't Nozaki come out here?" he angrily burst, his face redder than ever as he whipped around to look at her.

Sakura blinked, staring at him uncomprehendingly. Their noses were nearly touching because of how close she had leaned into him. Both of them seemed frozen, painfully aware of how close they were to touching. Sakura could not be entirely sure what was going through Mikoshiba's mind, but she thought she knew him well enough to understand his reactions. She would never be able to get the words out that she needed to tell him what she wanted. In fact, she was certain she would mess it up as she had the two times she had attempted to confess to Nozaki. Instead, she took advantage of their close proximity and with shaking hands, reached up and pulled him into a hug. She could feel his body stiffen in surprise and clenched her eyes tight, hoping she had not miscalculated. When she didn't let go of him, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, he remained tense against her for a few moments before she felt his arms wind around her waist tentatively. Sakura released a breath she had not been aware she was holding, feeling her own body relax. Neither she nor Mikoshiba said anything, silently embracing each other. After a time, Sakura slowly drew away to meet his gaze.

"Why are you blushing?" he asked irritably, his own face red.

"Wh-why are _you_ blushing?" she retorted. He scowled and his hands on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer, startling her. She reached out, her palms landing on his shoulders. A second later, he bent his head and pressed his lips to hers. At first, she was too shocked to react and then she leaned into the kiss, her lips softening against his, breathing in his scent. He smelled faintly of soap and of something else, a spicy, masculine scent she could not place. When he pulled away, she was still flushed and her lips were warm and moist from his kiss.

"That," he stated softly, "is why I'm blushing."

She smiled shyly up at him and he took it as an invitation. This time, she was ready for when he would kiss her again and wound her fingers in his thick hair, pulling his face closer as she kissed him.

X

"I'm home!" Sakura called, stepping into the apartment and removing her shoes. She stepped into the living room where Mikoshiba and Nozaki were sitting across from each other at the table Mikoshiba had a fierce expression on his face and was leaning halfway across the table, half risen from his seat. "What's going on?" she asked blankly, looking from one male to the other.

Ignoring her, Mikoshiba exploded, "Take it out! Now!"

Nozaki regarded him with a completely nonplussed expression. "Why? It's Mamiko and Suzuki. I don't want to take it out."

"You can't have that in there, Nozaki! I told you in confidence!"

Settling at the end of the table, Sakura took the sleeves of paper that Mikoshiba had clearly been looking at. "Why are you getting so worked up?" she grumbled, raising the papers. "It can't be – " Her words abruptly halted as she stared at the panels. Mamiko and Suzuki were locked in a fierce, passionate embrace. As Sakura quickly read through the other panels, her cheeks began to warm as it began to look more and more like a certain fiery moment she and Mikoshiba had experienced in one of the campus lecture halls. "Wh...wh...wh..._what is this?!_" Sakura finally managed, clutching onto the paper. "They're even in the school!"

"I thought that would make it more exciting," Nozaki stated, nodding his head.

"Mikoshiba!" Sakura sprang to her feet, glaring down at him. His anger with Nozaki seemed to be forgotten in the face of Sakura's fury. "What are you doing gossiping about our love life?!"

"H-he needed resource material for the manga, I didn't think he was going to put it down panel-by-panel," Mikoshiba defensively answered, inching away from her.

"I didn't ask for it," Nozaki spoke up, "you offered it."

"You're not helping!" Mikoshiba snapped.

"Then don't try to blame me."

_I'm going to beat them both,_ Sakura thought as Mikoshiba, easily distracted, began to argue with Nozaki again. She looked back on the sleeves of paper. In spite of her anger towards Mikoshiba for sharing such private details, she could not help but smile in memory the panels excited from her. _Well...maybe Nozaki can keep this in after all. As a memory for me. _She giggled. _After all, it's not like _every_ private thing of me and Mikorin is going to end up in the manga! Or at least...I hope not!_ She sighed inwardly. _This is the problem with having a best friend as a manga artist...He always wants to use us as resource material._

_Fin_

X

A/N: Hopefully I was able to keep them in character as much as possible. I love Nozaki, but he has such an inflexible character at times. Please leave a review letting me know how you enjoyed it and of course constructive criticism is always welcome! Cheers!


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